On Editing South African Fiction

This article reflects on some of the complexities of editing literary fiction in the multi-cultural and multi-lingual context of South Africa. It argues that the relationship between editor and author needs not only to respect and accommodate difference, but actively encourage and engage it. This, I suggest, requires the meticulous translation of ethical principles into concomitant practices. Broadly, my methodology is anecdotal – an approach I derive from Jane Gallop's Anecdotal Theory (2002). I present eight anecdotes regarding my editorial experience and use them to refract several institutional and political concerns relevant to authors, editors and the South African publishing industry.